System and method for controlling metabolite production in a microbial fermentation

a technology of microbial fermentation and metabolite, which is applied in the direction of fermentation, waste based fuel, biofuels, etc., can solve the problems of inability to economically sustain starch or sucrose-producing crops for ethanol production in all geographies, the efficiency of ethanol production using such fermentation processes may be less than desirable, and the metabolism of the culture can be manipulated. , the effect of increasing the amount of carbon dioxid

Inactive Publication Date: 2014-09-18
LANZATECH NEW ZEALAND LTD
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0090]The inventors have found that by altering the amount of CO2 provided to the microbial culture, the metabolic pathway of the microorganism is affected. By altering the amount of CO2 provided to the microbial culture, the metabolism of the culture can be manipulated.
[0091]The inventors have surprisingly shown that the production of pyruvate derived products is increased when the microbial culture is provided with an increased amount of carbon dioxide. Correspondingly it has been found that the production of products derived from Acetyl CoA is increased, and the production of pyruvate derived products is decreased when the amount of CO2 dissolved in the microbial culture is decreased.
[0092]It has been shown previously that providing a carboxydotrophic culture with a substrate comprising CO and optionally hydrogen, under fermentation conditions, results in the production of alcohols and acids. It has also been previously demonstrated the production of ethanol, with the production of additional by-products including 2,3-butanediol and acetic acid.
[0093]The inventors have now discovered that by additionally supplying the microbial culture with carbon dioxide, the metabolism of the pyruvate arm of the metabol

Problems solved by technology

However, the cost of these carbohydrate feed stocks is influenced by their value as human food or animal feed, while the cultivation of starch or sucrose-producing crops for ethanol production is not economically sustainable in all geographies.
As some of the available carbon is

Method used

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  • System and method for controlling metabolite production in a microbial fermentation
  • System and method for controlling metabolite production in a microbial fermentation
  • System and method for controlling metabolite production in a microbial fermentation

Examples

Experimental program
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example 1

Microarray Experiments

Fermentation

[0161]Fermentations with C. autoethanogenum DSM23693 were carried out in 1.5 L bioreactors at 37° C. and CO-containing as sole energy and carbon source as described below. A defined liquid medium containing per litre: MgCl, CaCl2 (2 mM), KCl (25 mM), H3PO4 (5 mM), Fe (100 μM), Ni, Zn (5 μM), Mn, B, W, Mo, Se (2 μM) was used for culture growth. The medium was transferred into the bioreactor and was supplemented with a B vitamin solution and reduced with 0.2 mM Cr (II) solution. To achieve anaerobicity the reactor vessel was sparged with nitrogen. Prior to inoculation, the gas was switched to a gas mixture containing 30% CO and 70% N2, feeding continuously to the reactor. The gas flow was initially set at 100 ml / min and the agitation was set at 300 rpm. Na2S was dosed into the bioreactor at 0.3 ml / hr. The agitation was increased to 900 rpm at 50 rpm intervals during the growth phase of the fermentation. After 0.8 day in the batch mode, the bioreactor ...

example 2

The Effects of Pressure on Fermentation

[0165]FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show results from fermentations run at both low and high pressure, to demonstrate the effects on both the amount of dissolved CO2 present in the fermentation broth, and the concentration of metabolites produced by the fermentation. In each of these experiments a bioreactor containing a liquid nutrient medium was inoculated with a culture of Clostridium autoethanogenum. A gaseous substrate comprising CO and CO2 was provided to the bioreactor.

[0166]FIG. 2 shows results from a first experiment, wherein the fermentation was run at different pressures, to determine the effect of pressure on the amount of dissolved CO2 and on the concentration of 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) produced in the reactor.

[0167]FIG. 2 shows that at high pressure from days 0-6 (320 kPag in the headspace of the reactor, and about 420 kPag at the bottom of the reactor) both the amount of dissolved CO2 in the fermentation broth, and the concentration...

example 3

Increasing Dissolved CO2 Concentrations

[0170]A set of experiments was performed which demonstrated that the level of dissolved CO2 in the fermentation resulted in increased production of 2,3-butanediol.

3A: Changes in CO2 Inlet Concentration as a Way of Increasing 2, 3 BDO Production

[0171]During this experiment the CO2 concentration of the inlet gas to the fermentation broth was changed from 0% to 25% in one step after 28 days of operation. The CO uptake was kept constant for the entire experiment and the concentration of CO was kept at 30% in the inlet gas. As shown in FIG. 5 a large increase in 2,3 butanediol production was observed when the CO2 was changed from 0% to 25%.

[0172]FIG. 6 depicts the changes in the CO2 concentration in the fermentation broth between days 25-31. At day 25 the amount of CO2 in the inlet stream provided to the fermentation was 0%. At day 28 the CO2 concentration of the inlet stream was increased to 25%. FIG. 6 clearly shows that that CO uptake stayed the ...

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Abstract

A method is provided for controlling a metabolic profile of an anaerobic microbial fermentation culture. In particular, a metabolic profile of a fermentation process is controlled by controlling the amount of dissolved CO2 provided to a culture. Further provided is a method of producing one or more products by microbial fermentation of a gaseous substrate through feeding tail gas CO2 from a reactor to a second reactor, or by recycling tail gas CO2 to the same reactor.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to methods for controlling the production of one or more products, by microbial fermentation. In particular, the invention relates to methods for controlling the amount of carbon dioxide provided to a microbial culture. In particular embodiments, a metabolic profile of a fermentation process is controlled by controlling the amount of dissolved CO2 provided to a culture.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Ethanol is rapidly becoming a major hydrogen-rich liquid transport fuel around the world. Worldwide consumption of ethanol in 2002 was an estimated 10.8 billion gallons. The global market for the fuel ethanol industry has also been predicted to grow sharply in future, due to an increased interest in ethanol in Europe, Japan, the USA and several developing nations.[0003]For example, in the USA, ethanol is used to produce E10, a 10% mixture of ethanol in gasoline. In E10 blends the ethanol component acts as an oxygenating agent...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): C12P7/62C12P7/56C12P5/02C12P7/16C12P7/04C12P7/46C12P7/18C12P7/26
CPCC12P7/62C12P5/026C12P7/04C12P7/56C12P7/18C12P7/26C12P7/46C12P7/16C12N1/38C12P7/00Y02E50/30Y02E50/10C12N1/20C12P7/06C12R2001/145
Inventor SIMPSON, SEAN DENNISKOEPKE, MICHAELSMART, KATHLEEN FRANCESTRAN, LOAN PHUONGSECHRIST, PAUL
Owner LANZATECH NEW ZEALAND LTD
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